Red Curry Beef Brisket (Instant Pot + Stove Top Recipe)

Red curry paste is so versatile, fragrant and not too hot for my family. I often use it to make pork, chicken and seafood dishes. Red curry paste is also a perfect match with beef brisket.

A friend of mine once told me that she loves eating beef brisket as it’s full of beef flavour. However, she’d be put off from it if it’s too fatty. If you’re armed with an oil separator or the simple tricks written below this recipe, you’ll make this dish again and again, simply because this beef brisket curry dish is wonderfully tasty. It’s worth the effort.

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Papaya and Chicken Feet Soup (Instant Pot + Stove Top Recipe)

Hope the chicken feet won’t scare you off. As a matter of fact, this soup is very tasty, as a result it earned its popularity in Chinese community. This soup is put on high priority on my menu as my family loves it so much.

When I first moved into Australia, I could ask for chicken feet for free from supermarkets because most Australian didn’t like chicken feet. So the staff would throw them away. They’re so glad that if you asked and would give you a large packet. Now a small amount of chicken feet costs quite expensive instead.

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Ginseng Goji Chicken Soup (Instant Pot + Stove Top Recipe)

This Ginseng Goji Chicken Soup (花旗參杞子雞湯) is one of my favourite traditional Chinese ones that I enjoyed so much throughout the year. The soup is commonly simmered for long hours to intensify the flavours.

The ginseng has lots of health benefits. Study shows that ginseng can help to boost our immune system and lower blood sugar levels. Ginseng tastes a subtle bitterness, striking a balance of the sweetness of goji berries and candied dates in the soup. After seasoning with a bit of sea salt, this chicken soup tastes so good.

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Red Bean and Coconut Milk Soup (Pressure Cooker Recipe)

No soaking required, dried red beans can be turned into tender enough with “sandy” consistency just around an hour. Are you intrigued to try? If you are like me, here's a quick recipe for making red bean dessert with a pressure cooker. If you still want to make red bean dessert over stove top, please see the notes below the recipe.

Whenever I make our traditional Chinese red bean soup, I need to soak the beans for at least 3 hours or overnight before cooking about one to two hours, depending on how I like the consistency. I’m a big fan of all kinds of red bean desserts but couldn’t make any if without any planning ahead.

So I searched the internet high and low and tried to see if there’s a kitchen gadget that could help me out.

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Shiitake Mushroom Chicken Rice (Pressure Cooker + Video)

This is one of my favourite Chinese rice dish, Shiitake Mushroom Chicken Rice, traditionally made in a claypot. Recently I experimented with my pressure cooker. The pressure cooker version is a keeper for a hectic day if you don't want to stand in your kitchen too long.

This Shiitake mushroom chicken rice is one of my favourite on-the-go recipes, just like one-pot-dish, tasty yet not difficult to make.

Simply pop in all the ingredients in a pot. This time I put all the ingredients in my Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker). Mix the chicken with the marinade first.

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Smoky BBQ Pork Ribs (Instant Pot with Slow-Cooked Effect + Video)

Ever thought to use a fast cooking method to produce delicious slow-cooked foods? I tried to make some smoky BBQ pork ribs in my pressure cooker and added one more step to take them up a notch tasting like those made from a slow cooker. Are you intrigued to try these tasty, sticky, smoky and juicy pork ribs?

The greatest benefit of using a pressure cooker is to cut down the cooking time. How to make pork ribs from a pressure cooker, like Instant Pot, that taste like those slow-baked from an oven?

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Italian Beef Stew

I used to make stew dishes on my stovetop. To make this Italian Beef Stew over stovetop normally takes about 2 to 3 hours before it’s ready to be served on diner table.

Once I got my Instant Pot, I first wanted to try its stew function testing how well it could cut down the cooking time. I tested this dish and found its high-pressure cooking function can turn tough cuts into tender meat around 1 hour with delicious sauce that my family loved it very much. This dish goes really well with steamed rice, pasta or noodles.

I also found my kitchen won’t be heated up while making stew dished if I used my Instant Pot. You’d imagine I feel so great especially when I crave for stew dishes on warm days. You wouldn’t know if I didn’t tell you. This was the stew dish I craved and made on a very hot day. Was I a bit out of my mind? I simply felt my cooking and eating was not being tied by the weather with a sense of freedom.

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Purple Sweet Potato and Pearl Barley Sweet Soup

Purple sweet potato is a kind of starchy sweet vegetables with loads of fiber. They are different from yam. In traditional Hong Kong cooking, various kinds of sweet potatoes are widely used to make desserts to serve after dinner.

When it comes to cooking purple sweet potato, it turns soft and easily broken apart within half an hour, as a result the sweet soup will become cloudy. If you care about how the sweet soup looks like, you have to control the stove power carefully.

I’ve experimented and found my Instant Pot can do the best job of keeping the purple sweet potato in good shape even they’re softened enough. If you have an Instant Pot, give it a try. If you don’t, you still can make this delicious dessert on stove.

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Braised Kimchi, Radish and Pork Ribs (Pressure Cooker + Stove Top)

Pork ribs often need longer cooking time on stove top, but that will be shortened a lot if using an electric pressure cooker, like Instant Pot. No matter what kind of cooker you got, you can try this simple yet delicious dish without any fuss. Stove-top instructions are included beneath though.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish, yet quite versatile to be used in making various delicious and healthy dishes. By adding some Kimchi in soup, it helps to create a depth of flavours, and the whole dish becomes very appetizing.

The natural sweetness of radish is blended so well in the pork soup. The slightly tangy taste of Kimchi will intrigue you to want more.

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Beef Ribs in Black Pepper Sauce (Pressure Cooker or Stovetop)

The beef short ribs are turned soft and tender very quickly in my Instant Pot. They are juicy and delicious.

This recipe is a super-quick one suitable for pressure cooking if you have one. I got these beef ribs from supermarket that were quite thickly cut. I also inserted stovetop instructions in notes section below the recipe.

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Japanese Pork Tender Rib Stew (Pressure Cooker + Stovetop + Video)

This Japanese pork tender rib stew dish can be served with rice or noodle soup. For those who don’t have an Instant Pot yet, I inserted the stovetop instructions for making this delicious dish.

It’s so much fun to explore the functions of my new kitchen toy, Instant Pot. This time my project was to test its “stew” function.

The pork tender ribs ( aka 豬軟骨 pork cartilage) from a nearby Asian butcher was only required 35 minutes of pressure cooking. They turned really tender with almost-fell-off-the-bone meat.

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Steamed Eggs 蒸水蛋 (Silky Smooth Tips + Video)

This silky smooth savoury steamed eggs dish is so easy to make. It goes really well with steamed rice.

Steamed egg is a very popular dish in Hong Kong cooking. It’s simple and nourishing. We love its silky smooth texture and savory taste that goes really well with steamed rice.

Armed with my Instant Pot, an electronic programmed pressure cooker, I don’t need to worry about the timing and temperature. Simply press the buttons and leave it on the bench doing the job for me.

I can be very confident to get the exactly same result every time, watching my family enjoying the silky smooth steamed eggs.

In the video below, you'll see how easy to make this dish.

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Braised Pork Ribs and Lotus Root with Red Bean Curd (Instant Pot + Stove-top)

This traditional Chinese stewed dish is very delicious. The pork ribs and lotus roots are cooked until very tender. They absorb all the flavours of red bean curd paste. This dish goes very well with a bowl of steamed rice.

Lotus roots are often used in Chinese cooking. They are so good for making stew dishes.

Fresh lotus roots are not easily found in Australia. Yet it’s very popular and easy to find around southern and eastern Asia.

I happened to spot some frozen lotus roots sold at a nearby Asian grocer. They are already cleaned, peeled and sliced, thus very handy to be used. The good thing is that the price is much cheaper than the fresh ones.

You must’ve got what my next action was after spotting some frozen lotus roots accidentally. Yes, I bought a packet back home to try.

This braised pork ribs with lotus root is a traditional Chinese dish that I tried many years ago in Hong Kong. It's often slow-cooked on stove. The taste is so scrumptious.

My Instant Pot did a very good job for me. It helped me cut short the cooking time a lot. Both of the pork ribs and lotus root were wonderfully tender, and absorbed all the tasty sauce. For those who don’t have an Instant Pot, I also inserted the stove-top instructions below.

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Chicken and Tomato Soup (Pressure Cooker + Stove Top Recipe)

This soup recipe can be served as a base to make your own using up your leftovers. Both instructions of using Instant Pot and stove-top are inserted. Enjoy!

This is one of my favourite meals, packed with flavours and nutrients. If you have an electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot, it can be done within 20 minutes. Or without an Instant Pot, you can also make this delicious soup dish with a large pot on stove at ease.

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Sweetened Red Beans (Instant Pot Recipe)

Homemade sweetened red beans are versatile to make Chinese desserts or fillings, such as this chewy and delicious Baked Red Bean Coconut Cake that is a crowd-pleaser in my family gathering.

The red beans are supposed to be just cooked and softened, still retaining the shape, without breaking the skins apart. They are perfect sweetened red beans that I like the most.

It sounds difficult to achieve this result, isn’t it? On the contrary, it's not that difficult as you thought. The key to successfully making perfect sweetened red bean is attention.

If using regular pot over electric stove, you can easily make sweetened red beans. You need to pay attention to the stove power. Don’t leave it unattended for too long. Stir the mixture occasionally to avoid from sticking to the pot bottom. (Recipe is coming on its way!)

I used to make sweetened red beans in my heavy-based pot over stove until I bought an Instant Pot. All I need to do is to put in all the ingredients, turn on the power, select the “high pressure” function and set the timer. The rest is left for the machine to get it done for me.

When the cooking finishes, the machine will alert you with a beep sound. You don’t need to hurry to do anything. Wait until the pressure inside releases.

Drain up the red beans. Handle with care though. They are really soft. Discard the water and put the beans back into the pot. Lightly stir in some sugar.

If you find some of the red bean skins are broken apart, and they are not too many, it’s normal. Let it cool completely. You can use them right away, or store in refrigerator for later use. Sounds simple?

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Chinese Yam, Goji and Pork Shin Congee (Instant Pot + Stove Top)

This Chinese yam and pork shin congee can be a light yet nourishing lunch. Goji berries are added to boost eye health.

No matter fresh or dried Chinese yam (aka 淮山 or山藥 in Chinese), I like to make congee with it. It’s good for treating poor appetite. Dried Chinese yam are often already peeled and sliced before dehydrated, very handy to use. Fresh Chinese yam has richer nutrition. You can easily find them in any Asian grocers.

Goji berry is another healthy ingredient I used to make this congee. Its reputation of helping to keep eye health is widely spread. I like its orange red colour and sweet taste, enhancing the taste of every dish I made.

Whenever I crave for Chinese congee, I turn to my Instant Pot recently. It helps shorten the cooking time a lot. I don’t need to bother if my congee will spill over or sticky to the pot bottom. I also inserted the stove-top instructions for those who don’t have an Instant Pot. Hope you all like this nourishing congee as my family does.

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Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce (Instant Pot Recipe)

You need only one pot, that’s Instant Pot to make this delicious and juicy pork chops with creamy mushroom sauce. Fuss free and mess free in the kitchen.

Oftentimes pork chops are tough and leathery after cooking. Any workaround?

If using the wrong cuts or over-cooked, you might feel like wasting all the money to get the pork chops. To get the best results, try to get pork chops with more fat as fat makes meat tender.

Fat?! This word scares many people away. Wait, the par-cooking process (aka partially cook beforehand) using pan-frying method will help render the grease out of pork chops. Best still, par-cooking produces a beautiful brown colour on pork chop surface, increases aroma and adds more flavours.

On top of that, I found another method. This recipe can be taken as another tested workaround.

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Lotus and Dried Octopus Soup (Pressure Cooker + Stovetop Recipe)

Have you tried this old-fashioned Chinese soup —— Lotus and Dried Octopus Soup? This soup is very popular and well-liked in Hong Kong. This soup tastes very delicious with a slightly sweetness and a depth of flavours. Traditionally, it’s a soup enjoyed in winter. To myself, it’s a soup can be enjoyed all year round.

Chinese people like long-cooked soup (aka “old fire” soup in Chinese, 老火湯). It normally takes at least 2 to 3 hours or much longer to make an old-fire soup. The soup has a depth of flavours.

Dried octopus (章魚) is quite often used in making Chinese “old fire” soups. Don’t mix it up with dried squid as a snack, which is marinated with seasonings. Dried octopus shouldn’t have any seasonings added, but simply have gone through a sun-dried process traditionally. It’ll bring a new dimension of flavours into the stock.

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Thai Pumpkin Soup (Instant Pot + Stove Top Recipe)

Just within half an hour, this Thai pumpkin soup can be whipped up for you to taste. The fragrance of lemongrass and coconut milk intrigued me to finish one bowl after another. I used a whole butternut pumpkin that only cost me one dollar. You won’t get this kind of quality, flavoursome soup anywhere in Brisbane restaurants, unless you make it yourself at home. Needless to say, I was still in the mood of playing with my kitchen toy, Instant Pot. You can cook it on stove though. Both recipes are posted for those who want to give this delicious soup a try.

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Blueberry Cheesecake (Instant Pot + Oven Recipe)

Ever wondered how a cheesecake tastes like that's made in an Instant Pot? Is it different from the one baked in an oven?

I was intrigued to try making cheesecake in my pressure cooker, Instant Pot. I converted our family’s favourite mini blueberry cheesecakes recipe and made a 7-inch round one.

Then I brought it along to a party and shared with my friends. They were all fascinated after tasting it. The taste and texture were no difference, compared with those I baked in oven. The only complaint was that the cheesecake was too small for the party. Everyone could only have a tiny slice.

It’s still a good thing that everyone’s sweet tooth was taken care of with a moderate portion. With my Instant Pot, under the hot weather down under here, I could make something delicious similar to the bakery goods. Yet, I didn’t need to turn up my oven, then heated up my kitchen. Extra bonus!

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